Press Release

Atlanta, GA, USA, May 4, 2024 -- Some of the brightest stars in the fine art galaxy – names such as Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy, David Hockney, Pablo Picasso, Ludwig Bemelmans, Carlos Nadal and Georges Braque – will be represented, sometimes multiple times, at the auction of the Bridget and Jerome Dobson collection slated for Thursday, May 16th, by Ahlers & Ogletree, online and live at the Atlanta gallery.

“Since the 1970s, the dynamic duo of Bridget and Jerome Dobson has written award-winning episodes of several iconic daytime TV soap operas, including General Hospital, Guiding Light, As the World Turns and Santa Barbara,” said Robert Ahlers of Ahlers & Ogletree. “Between writing sessions, the couple collected incredible art on their travels around the world. Now, it will all be sold at auction.”

The auction’s undisputed headliner is the French/Russian artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985), whose signed 1980 tempera on Masonite titled Peintre, Ange et Amoreaux (Painter, Angel and Lover) is expected to realize $200,000-$300,000. The Dobsons purchased the work at a Sotheby’s auction in 1998. It comes with a COA from Jean-Louis Prat, an agent of the Comité Marc Chagall (ref. 92005).

Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal) was an early modernist painter, associated with the École de Paris as well as several major artistic styles. He created artworks in a wide range of formats, including painting, drawings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints. The art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the 20th century."

There are several artworks in the sale by Carlos Nadal (1917-1998), the French-born Spanish painter of the Fauvist school. They include a 1992 oil on canvas work titled Salon Rojo, signed lower left and titled, signed and dated to verso. The painting has a label on verso for The Bruton St. Gallery and measures 35inches by 45 ¾ inches (canvas, less the frame). The work should change hands for $25,000-$35,000.

An oil on canvas laid to board by Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962), the Austrian-born American artist best known as the illustrator of the iconic Madeline children’s book series, is titled Oh, Genevieve, Where Can You Be? The painting is tall and thin, at 66 ¾ inches by 22 ½ inches, and is unframed and apparently unsigned. The Dobsons purchased it at a Sotheby’s auction in 1999 (est. $20,000-$30,000).

There are three paintings in the sale by Bemelmans. In 1953, Aristotle Onassis commissioned Bemelmans to paint fifteen mural panels for the playroom on his yacht The Christina, named for his daughter. The murals were painted after illustrations that appeared in several of the author's Madeline books, adaptations from originals in Madeline's Rescue and Madeline and the Bad Hat.

Another artist whose name will be chanted more than once is Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953). His gouache and watercolor on paper titled La Plage d’Etretat (Etretat Beach) is titled lower center and signed lower right. It’s included in the supplement to the Catalog Raisonne of Watercolors, Gouaches, and Pastels by Raoul Dufy, reference As-0270. It has an estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

Dufy was associated with the Fauvist movement. He gained recognition for his vibrant and decorative style, which became popular in various forms, such as textile designs, and public building decorations. Dufy is most remembered for his artwork depicting outdoor social gatherings. He was also skilled in drawing, printmaking, book illustration, scenic design, furniture design and in planning public spaces.

To learn more about Ahlers & Ogletree and the auction of the Bridget and Jerome Dobson collection slated for Thursday, May 16th, online and live at the Atlanta gallery, visit www.aandoauctions.com. You can also follow Ahlers & Ogletree via social media on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

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